Liquids must often be transferred between a storage container and a temporary storage receptacle before the liquid is processed in a subsequent downstream operation. Such a temporary storage receptacle may be a gas tank on an automobile, snowmobile or a lawnmower. Known systems for effecting transfer of liquid between such containers suffer from various disadvantages. For instance, existing fluid transfer systems do not provide means for protecting dispensing devices from fluid pressure which may have developed in a storage container from which the dispensing device is configured to transfer the liquid.